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Restaurant 23

In the busy town centre of Warrenpoint, a long L-shaped room that was once part of a very large traditional pub now serves as a remarkable contemporary restaurant.

There’s a great team at work here – the proprietors are Raymond McArdle (renowned head chef at the Nuremore Hotel, Carrickmacross, see entry) and his wife, Andrea, and heading up the kitchen team is one of Northern Ireland’s most talented chefs, Trevor Cunningham.

Despite the stylish surroundings and accomplished cooking, it’s an accessible place and enticing menus designed to please all tastes are based on carefully sourced, quality ingredients.

The style is broadly upbeat modern classical (which allows for some of the currently fashionable Asian influences), to include tasty lunchtime food like smoked salmon Caesar salad or comforting Cumberland sausage & champ, and more sophisticated evening dishes such as a house speciality of pressed confit foie gras, or mussels with chilli, ginger & white wine, or lovely crisp spiced belly of pork.

Excellent attention to detail is seen in delicious freshly baked breads, tempting desserts and homemade petit fours with your after dinner coffee.

The same care is reflected in a well chosen wine list, and – although not perhaps a match for the exceptional skill in the kitchen - the service brings an easy blend of Northern friendliness and professional skill.

With such a talented and confident chef in the kitchen, a relaxed ambience and good value, this is a restaurant that should do well.

Seats 60 (private room, 30); toilets wheelchair accessible; air conditioning. Open Wed-Sat, L 12.30-3, D 6.30-9.30 (to 10 Fri/Sat), Sun 12.30-8. Value L £8; set Sun L £16; value D £18 Wed-Fri; set 2/3 course D £22/30; also a la carte; House wine £14-16. Closed Mon, Tue, 25 Dec, 3rd week Jan. Amex, MasterCard, Visa, Switch.